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Archive for January, 2006

Broker Outpost Google Toolbar Button

Google has just released their version 4 toolbar into beta. One of the slickest new features of the new toolbar is their support for RSS feeds just like Firefox’s live bookmarks feature! You can now view the latest real-time Broker Outpost forum topics and search forum topics right from a pull down menu within the Google […]

Reports Indicate Glut of Condos in D.C. Area

The Washington area housing market has softened but is still in relatively decent shape except for what appears to be a glut of condos, according to two studies released yesterday. But the researchers came to different conclusions about the potential for problems stemming from condo overbuilding. Read More…

Carving Out a Community: Where 3 Adds Up to No. 1

For Laura Narvaiz, Chevy Chase Section 3 is a quintessential slice of Americana, from its annual children’s Halloween parade to a neighborhood-owned park with a gazebo. Read More…

Local Mansions, a Relative Bargain

It may seem as if Washington area home prices are ultra high, but only 21 properties here made a list of the 1,000 most expensive houses on the market in America that was published this week. Read More…

Fishing for Hot Investments in A Cool Market

As the frenzied local real estate market appears to be cooling down, we are being asked a lot whether real estate is still a good investment. One feature of real estate as an investment is that it is so easily leveraged. That means you can use borrowed money to increase the return on your…… Read More…

Like-Kind Exchanges Can Be Thorny

The rules are complex and the time limitations are strict, but if you plan to sell investment property, the Starker, or like-kind, exchange will allow you to defer your profit. Read More…

A Good-Faith Effort To Clean Up Estimates

It’s a distressingly familiar scenario for home buyers and refinancers, and it was one of the major mortgage-related consumer complaints to federal agencies in 2005: “good-faith estimates” of settlement costs that turn out to be hundreds, even thousands, of dollars off the mark. Read More…

Your Home, Your Castle

When Chad Eilermann went home shopping three years ago, security was paramount. “The last apartment I lived in, I had my car broken into and my stereo stolen. I didn’t want to go through that again,” said Eilermann, a 26-year-old senior programmer for the Internet services company Radio Data Group. Read More…

The Last Handshake Deal

Nestled inside the Nexus Gold Club, a strip joint just a few blocks from the site of the proposed baseball stadium in Southeast, Marty Chernoff sits on a dark gray couch cracking Alaskan king crab legs while a tall, skinny blonde in a yellow bikini bottom and skimpy top keeps him company… When… Read More…

Taxes When You Sell Your Home

The IRS just issued guidance on the tax rules surrounding home sales. And it could spell even more savings for you. Read More…